tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-369181052011-11-27T23:28:44.115ZThe events preceding, during and following the global financial crisis beginning in 2007 will be studied for many years in the future. This blog is a register of my own personal ideas, theses, and rantings during that time. It is also an open forum where I encourage feedback from readers (if I have any.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316674107356457007noreply@blogger.comBlogger301100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36918105.post-45818938663394552332010-03-07T23:51:00.003Z2010-03-08T01:46:57.741Z

Time flies when you're not updating your blog!Well this is embarrassing, but in hindsight not all that unexpected... It's been almost a full year since my last blog post (not that anyone's reading). Oh course, the reason I created this blog in the first place was not for readership per se, it was for myself (As an aside, there are precious few media sources that aren't beholden to some

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316674107356457007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36918105.post-80201381199460441302009-03-25T03:44:00.004Z2009-03-25T04:58:24.147Z

Web 2.0 and the social networks - If I were Mark Zuckerberg...Let's face it (pun intended?), Facebook is a force to be reckoned with on the world wide web. Problem is, the firm is not profitable and the corporate strategy seems to be more of the same. Facebook needs to start using the leverage of its 100 million unique users a month and try to enter new markets where competitors have a strong,

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316674107356457007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36918105.post-63380740546585906472009-02-25T05:01:00.002Z2009-02-25T05:28:07.878Z

Hope: not a good investment strategyAnyone that listened to chairman Ben Bernanke's testimony today and now feels better about our country's economic situation; god have mercy on your soul. Today I saw what was truly a dead cat bounce - short covering coupled with a few longs piggy-backing off of a glimmer of hope provided by Mr. Bernanke. A hope that maybe, just maybe, if everything goes

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316674107356457007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36918105.post-58441387572895905472009-02-06T07:19:00.004Z2009-02-10T06:20:51.318Z

Mental Note to self: Market on verge of critical inflection point next week.With the lingering questions on the stimulus bill likely to be resolved soon, wall street is going to have to digest an enormous amount of market-moving information in the next 2 weeks as we finally get answers to the following questions:1) How much money will ultimately be spent and where. Expect this to cause large

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316674107356457007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36918105.post-88808466542620480712009-01-29T05:52:00.005Z2009-02-06T06:55:38.933Z

The Fed's "WAR OF THE WOR(L)DS"Like many in the investo-blogosphere I eagerly devoured David Merkel's "FOMC Statement, Redacted Version" today. I am very grateful that someone has taken the time to do this on a regular basis as it saves a lot of time compared to reading the 2 statements side by side. Maybe its just me being "fed up with fed-speak" (sounds like a good WSJ article name if it hasn't

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316674107356457007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36918105.post-14501221667860451832009-01-17T05:19:00.006Z2009-01-20T07:59:46.992Z

Short-termism Redux:Sunk Costs, Escalation Bias and Satisficing MarketsIt has become more clear to me since the market crash in October that those in Washington who are making decisions on our behalf are suffering from chronic escalation bias; the premise that once aid has been distributed to an ailing financial institution and the proverbial "intervention" line has been crossed, the government (

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316674107356457007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36918105.post-25030117193701465142008-10-14T02:11:00.015Z2008-10-14T07:02:24.892Z

Mr. Market has a case of the Muundays...Do you remember back in college, or maybe at your first job, when you could take off early on Friday and just not show up at all on Monday and no one gave a damn? Well, it looks like for a lot of investors, 3 and a half day weekends are the key to avoiding volatility in 2008. Note: I wanted to name this entry Monday-Bloody-Monday, but that was before we had

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316674107356457007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36918105.post-72178812375591636302008-04-22T04:47:00.002Z2008-04-22T05:14:58.463Z

Quick UpdateThis is becoming less of a blog and more of a time capsule! I never thought it would be so difficult to find time to write! But I guess life is happening at a quicker pace then I ever imagined. Right now CFA II is tormenting me day and night and with little more than 5 weeks to go I really should get back to studying. But first some quick commentary on the markets...Recession/Bear

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316674107356457007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36918105.post-67878169103156818622007-08-08T02:24:00.000Z2008-11-13T09:27:52.213Z

ETF First Half CallsMore than 6 months have passed since I made my international ETF picks and here's how they've fared. I suppose readers might construe this post as boastful. HA! Of course I wasn't smart enough to put my money where my mouth was. Let that be a lesson to my future self to show more conviction! Now for some (delayed) second half picks:- XLF December 33 calls- GS below 200 ( I was

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316674107356457007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36918105.post-88161251000428716272007-08-04T19:33:00.000Z2007-08-04T19:49:46.476Z

On Hiatus.My first blog post now in 4 months and it's, well... embarrassing! I really should have kept updating, but events (mostly positive) in my own life have kept me away from blogging for the most part. Sure I could have made time, but I rather enjoyed my blogging hiatus. And with summer in full swing in Milwaukee right now, who's got time to write about what's going on in the boring markets

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316674107356457007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36918105.post-4005846823969918992007-03-20T04:10:00.000Z2007-03-20T04:48:14.735Z

Google keeps innovating (philanthropy?!)Google is used to playing one-upmanship with Bill Gates and Microsoft. This time the battle ground is not the world of search or productivity platforms, but philanthropy. I think you would agree with me though that it will be hard to Trump (no reference to the less-philanthropic Donald) the 30+ billion in assets that the Gate's foundation and Warren Buffet

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316674107356457007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36918105.post-78036405087869582222007-03-17T16:17:00.000Z2008-11-13T09:27:52.320Z

March (and February) MadnessWell I'm finally home and it feels good to be back, but I haven't had a chance to catch a breath since February. I've stumbled across many blog-worthy items lately, but just haven't had time to post any of them. I'll try my best to post here more often. Today just a quick post that made me LOL. Happy St. Patty's day.

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316674107356457007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36918105.post-87131298659027023082007-01-21T23:13:00.000Z2007-03-17T16:27:30.653Z

Think twice about sleeping on the jobJust a quick link to an article tonight and then i'm off to bed or else I fear being labelled a hypocrite.Click here to find out why.

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316674107356457007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36918105.post-1544798868784917352007-01-17T22:05:00.000Z2007-08-08T02:14:54.675Z

mmm...TurkeySeems everybody these days wants to invest internationally*. India? I'll take one ETF and a side of Tata. Mexico? Sure. China? I'll take one of everything! Do you have any Gazprom left?? You can be sure that the supermarket that is the world of ETFs, ADRs, and international mutual funds is always well-stocked.After FXI and EEM made -10% and -6% corrections respectively last week I

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316674107356457007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36918105.post-24787717013960338512007-01-05T01:04:00.000Z2007-01-05T01:16:13.278Z

Foreign brains behind US tech firmsForeign-born entrepreneurs were behind one in four technology startups in the United States over the past decade, a new report has revealed. A team of researchers at Duke University estimated 25.3 per cent of technology and engineering companies started between 1995 and 2005 had founders, chief executives, presidents or chief technology officers who were born

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316674107356457007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36918105.post-42005213975842711232007-01-03T22:28:00.000Z2007-01-03T22:34:55.477Z

Again I haven't posted for an eternity due to the holiday season and the fact that i'm gearing up to start the job/grad school search for the spring when I return home to Milwaukee. Just one small tidbit today I found at Seeking Alpha. It looks like int'l ETF fees are going down. Rejoice! My favorite country ETFs for 2007:Germany (EWG)Mexico (EWW)South Africa (EZA)Here is the article.

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316674107356457007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36918105.post-53239189820333969502006-12-13T23:01:00.000Z2006-12-14T23:22:31.690Z

Merely Following a MegatrendIs your job at risk? If it's the type of work that can be done over a wire, then probably yes, says Nandan M. Nilekani, the chief executive of Infosys Technologies.This is an article from the New York Times (Oct. '05) that I came across while scanning for some research at work. Here is the rest of the article.My take: The article has a great hook, but it's a little

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316674107356457007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36918105.post-31886929021554028552006-12-04T01:46:00.000Z2006-12-13T20:27:40.926Z

The Authors at 7days.ae must not fear controversy with a title like this.More Significant than September 11?"While few doubt the importance of the September 11 terror attacks, analysts say China’s entry into the World Trade Organisation three months later may eventually be seen as having even greater reverberations.When China joined the WTO on December 11, 2001, it submitted to a universal set of

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316674107356457007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36918105.post-37233616830492411032006-12-04T01:23:00.000Z2006-12-04T01:38:18.326Z

Harvard goes MENAAnother Sign of the times. On November 30th, the Harvard Arab Alumni Association held a Middle Eastern job fair to address the "talent deficit" in the middle east. Too bad I had other obligations. Actually i'm not sure how they would react to a student from |gasp| a state school trying to attend. I guess I shouldn't bash Harvard. After all they do have the most alumni CEOs of

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316674107356457007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36918105.post-63807197068022852582006-11-30T22:25:00.000Z2008-11-13T09:27:52.531Z

T-accounts in TurkeyI haven't posted for more than a week so this is overdue. I had a wonderful time on vacation in Izmir, Turkey. My friend Serkan along with his family, was nice enough to host me for 5 days in their home in Bornova, a suburb of Izmir.Turkey is definitely a land of contrasts. Caught between Europe and the Middle east I experienced both sides of the culture in my short trip. The

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316674107356457007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36918105.post-86718147122950366652006-11-21T22:44:00.000Z2006-11-21T22:45:00.800Z

Changing the face of globalizationConsider this: Chinese company Lenovo bought the PC business of IBM two years ago. India’s Tata group bought the Boston Ritz- Carlton hotel chain two weeks ago. Malaysian road building companies are lso investing big-time in India. Even the UAE’s Emaar Properties is emerging as one of the largest global real estate players.Clearly, a new breed of multinational

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316674107356457007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36918105.post-72800672873537653092006-11-12T19:48:00.000Z2006-12-04T01:13:25.271Z

I had the occasion of visiting the WiMa Kongress at the University of Ulm, Germany this weekend with some friends who are current or former students. The event is a combination of a job fair, graduation ceremony for the Mathematical Finance students, and a conference on multiple topics related to Finance and Insurance. As for the job fair, nearly all of the top employers in the German market were

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316674107356457007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36918105.post-11220840527905432272006-11-07T23:56:00.000Z2006-12-04T01:19:21.185Z

Walmart can't match this discount!I recently came across some research on middle eastern markets by one of the multinational asset managers. One graphic in particular caught my attention. A scattergram with trailing PE on the x-axis and 2005 earnings growth on the y-axis plotted selected MENA (Middle East and Northern Africa) countries. Basically the farther down and to the right, the more

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316674107356457007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36918105.post-64394228237491786942006-11-07T00:34:00.000Z2006-11-07T00:38:21.536Z

Not a bad boat! Here's the artictle about it:Extreme Superyacht

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316674107356457007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36918105.post-28953018023707325502006-11-03T22:22:00.000Z2006-11-03T22:25:28.072Z

Did you know... Skype is illegal in Dubai.

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316674107356457007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36918105.post-41649765700838848282006-11-03T21:14:00.000Z2006-11-03T22:17:08.810Z

Googazon?!According to recent podcast by Gartner Analyst Hung LeHong we could see a major consolidation in web commerce, with only a few megaplayers a la Google & Amazon surviving. In addition, he believes that in the future consumers will be able to engage in "pretailing". In English pretailing means researching about products consumers will then later buy either online or in store. So how is

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316674107356457007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36918105.post-1162583853628191742006-11-03T19:53:00.000Z2006-11-05T21:38:24.992Z

Good News and Bad News:Merrill Lynch will be/has launched an index that tracks domestically listed companies in Dubai. The bad news: I can't find more info ANYWHERE!! Here is the link to the article at least.Merrill launches index on DubaiBy Paul J Davies from The Financial TimesPublished: October 31 2006This month UBS will be releasing an instrument that claims to be the world’s first

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316674107356457007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36918105.post-1162506606781023642006-11-02T21:57:00.000Z2006-11-03T22:20:48.740Z

Graphic of the Day: Corporate Tax rates over the last 14 years.Here is the Full Report from KPMGTheir findings reveal that coutries with low tax rates benefit directly through increased FDI e.g. Ireland. Scandinavian coutries have also made substantial progress. Here is the bad news: my beloved land of Germany is the highest taxed EU country and with the VAT hike at the beginning of 2007 I don't

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316674107356457007noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36918105.post-1162411872577142372006-11-01T20:04:00.000Z2006-11-03T22:21:46.795Z

Here is a list of the 2005 & 2006 results of selected companies in the UAE. I'll let the numbers do the rest of the talking here.

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316674107356457007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36918105.post-1162339015015548242006-10-31T23:50:00.000Z2006-11-03T19:51:25.414Z

Countdown To 2026I am not sure if this is a good omen or not, but it happened only by chance that I am starting this blog with 7000 Days until 2026.

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316674107356457007noreply@blogger.com0